


Neptune is dark and cold

by Bacner



Series: Stars are cold toys [4]
Category: Ad Astra (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - missing moments, Cepheus (Ad Astra), Character Study, Clifford McBride was lord of nothing in the end, Drabble, Father-Son Relationship, Flashbacks, Gen, Lima (Ad Astra), Neptune, SpaceCom, relationships, remembered vs forgotten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 18:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20782865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacner/pseuds/Bacner
Summary: Clifford McBride last moments alive.





	Neptune is dark and cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lila_luscious1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lila_luscious1/gifts).

> Disclaimer: all characters belong to their appropriate owners.

Clifford McBride is dead. 

…Well, he is not dead-dead, but he is in a space suit with a limited amount of oxygen and no help in sight – just as he wanted. Well, not exactly ‘wanted’, but what was his other option? To return with his son to Earth and live the rest of life, however long or short, in shame, ignominy, and, in the end, the same good old oblivion that he is drifting to now? Younger men, like his son, may ignore or rage against entropy, but in the end it awaits all of humanity, all beasts, birds, flowers. You cannot escape – you can just do your best to be remembered for as long as possible, and if Clifford came back, Space-Com would’ve made certain that he, his achievements and his crimes, would’ve swept under the rug and forgotten as ASAP to protect Space-Com’s own collective ass. It has generated all this hype about itself and is falling short of it – a bad place for anyone to be, a private individual or an organization. 

…Clifford McBride is not that oblivious to his own fate, he does realize that the last statement can apply to him too – but he is doing something about it: he is floating through space to his doom. He knows his son, he knows that Roy is a passionate young man, (especially when com-pared to Clifford himself), and he will bring the truth forth, whatever it will be. (Truth is a fickle demon and will attach itself to the stronger, louder voice in the room – always). Clifford’s true achievements, true greatness, true deeds – great and terrible – will be known and remembered, even if he will not be.

_When you will die, not even echo will respond to your death cry, lord of nothing!_

…Who said that? Who said that in Clifford’s memories of the past? Clifford does not remember. His crew were small-minded, ignorant, little people, barely better than animals. They did not understand, didn’t care that for great achievements great sacrifices must be made – and Clifford is making one right now, with his own life. Roy does not understand. Roy will, or else when he dies, he will be forgotten – but that is Roy’s choice. Clifford has done his best to teach him how to be a man – to learn from those lessons is up to Roy now.

_A woman’s smile, a child’s laughter will be denied you! You will remain alone in this cold dead desert!_

…Clifford’s oxygen is running low already and the integrity of the space suit itself isn’t far behind – this model was supposed to get him only from the Lima to Roy’s space shuttle. Good, this means that it will be all over soon and those bloody voices will stop!

_You will see your throne of fire and ashes! This is the only thing that you have created – feel free to rule over them!_

…When will they stop? There is no fire or ashes near the planet Neptune; the star called the Sun may be anchoring it to the Solar System with its’ gravity pull, but it barely present in terms of ‘fire’ and ‘ashes’-

…Behind Clifford McBride, the ‘Lima’ exploded; the combination of a nuclear bomb and the space shuttle’s own anti-matter motor, however damaged and unstable, brought plenty of fire and (metaphorical) ashes into the cold, dead reaches of Neptune; a monstrous wave of energy picked-up Roy McBride’s (requisitioned) space shuttle, ‘Cepheus’, and sent it on a straight course to Earth – but an even bigger wave picked-up Clifford McBride, turning him into a collection of space dust and atoms and slammed him into the surface of Neptune, permanently erasing him from the world of humanity instead…

End


End file.
